When people ask me what I do for a living I usually reply with my standard “I make shit look cool” response. But the more and more I think about it the more and more I realize that making shit look cool is only part of what I do. When I think about it I guess my job is really comprised of three parts
- Knowing what’s cool before anyone knows its cool.
- Making it work / function properly (usability).
- Skinning it so it looks awesome.
The downside is persuading clients that the ideas are cool and worth investing in. The main issue is that most clients are business types that really don’t know what’s cool unless they’re told it’s cool by some publication or their peers. Basically, they’re sheep.
So, today was one of those days that filled me with anxiety. We went into a meeting to sell a simple little widget that requires some work to pull off. But if done right it will add value to the user experience.
So why all the anxiety? Well the client loved the idea but freaked when they thought (assumed) what would be needed to actually implement the widget. It isn’t that the people aren’t capable it’s politics, fear of getting shit canned and a lack of drive in certain people to push the envelope.
I hope they make the right decision.